Thunder and Lightening: Chapter 30Home « Thunder and Lightening Index « Previous

- Chapter 30

Posted: February 22, 2005 - 12:51:08 am

Updated: February 22, 2005 - 01:15:29 pm



Melissa pulled the black dress out of the bag and took one glance at it. She

didn't have to look at the label to know that it wasn't a designer dress. With

as much disdain as she could muster, she asked, "Where did you buy this dress?

The hardware store?"

Jenny was very tempted to answer that she had bought the dress at Whores-R-Us on

the understanding that it was where Melissa bought all of her clothes, but she

controlled her anger. Instead, she answered, "It doesn't matter."

Putting as much sweetness into her voice as was possible, Melissa retorted, "It

might not matter to a trailer park slut like yourself, but I assure you that it

matters a lot to ladies such as myself. Unlike you, I have standards about what

I wear."

Turning, Jenny marched out of the bathroom before she acted on the temptation to

do something that she might regret later. As the door closed behind her, she

muttered, "She can go naked to that funeral for all I care."

"I'm sorry, Jenny." Jerry had never been so ashamed of anyone in his entire life

as he was of his daughter at that moment. Her behavior convinced him that she

had no love for anyone except herself.

Trembling in anger, Jenny marched up to Jerry and said, "That girl is a total

bitch."

"Melissa takes after her mother," commented Jerry as he hugged her to him. He

could feel the tension in her body. It matched his tension and he knew that

Melissa was the cause of it. She was so much like her mother.

"How can anyone be that hateful?" asked Jenny holding onto the big man with all

of her strength. In less than five minutes, the girl had called her whore, slut,

tramp, white trash, trailer park bimbo, home wrecker, and gold digger. She

couldn't believe the profanity that came out of that young girl's mouth. A woman

with less strength would have been in tears. As it was, Jenny wondered if she

would have to put up with that foul creature if she were to marry Jerry. The

thought was almost enough to make her question the wisdom of marrying him.

Melissa came out of the bathroom and asked, "Can't you even pretend to be a lady

for five minutes?"

As Jenny bristled, Jerry answered, "Melissa, watch your mouth."

She rolled her eyes and asked, "Did you bring my makeup case?"

Surprised by the question, Jerry answered, "Your what?"

"My makeup case, you fucking moron. I have to put on makeup before I go out in

public," screeched Melissa at her father. She had a black eye, given to her by

one of the black girls that had been locked up with her, and she had no

intention of going out in public without covering it with makeup. A little

incident in which she had called the girl a nigger had prompted a violent

response.

"Sorry, I didn't think of that," replied Jerry not used to thinking about the

beauty needs of a woman. He had been lucky that Jenny had taken it upon herself

to pick up a dress for the funeral.

"Can't you do anything right?" The girl rolled her eyes and looked off to the

side with her arms crossed tightly across her chest.

Jenny attempted to make a peace offering by saying, "I suppose that we have time

to stop by a pharmacy to pick up some makeup on the way to getting Bill."

"I'm not putting that cheap shit on my face," argued Melissa.

Jerry had enough and, with considerable anger in his voice, said, "We're going

now."

"Not until I get some makeup," replied Melissa while giving her father a

challenging look.

Jerry, with a tight smile on his face, stepped forward and grabbed his daughter

by throwing his good arm under her ass. With a smooth motion, he stood with her

draped over his broad shoulder. The action stressed his old wounds, but he

ignored the discomfort. Turning to Jenny, he said, "Let's go get Bill."

Melissa screamed at him to put her down. She beat on his back with her fists and

kicked her legs. Ignoring her movements, Jerry left the facility carrying her to

the car. Reaching the car, he stared at the door handle wondering how to open

the car door. Awkwardly, he knelt down and opened the door with the hand

sticking out his cast. It was hard, but he got the door open and threw his

daughter into the back seat. With a growl, he said, "Stay or I'll get a rope."

Jenny had been taken completely by surprise when Jerry had grabbed the girl and

refrained from laughing only with great effort. She ran into the bathroom and

picked up the clothes that had been discarded by Melissa. The girl might not be

upset about throwing away her clothes like that, but the waste would bother

Jerry. Throwing the dirty clothes into the bag, she raced out to catch up with

Jerry. She made it to the car in time to hear Jerry say, "I haven't decided. I

just might throw you in the trunk. Of course, I'd feel sorry for the spare tire

that has to be in there with you."

Melissa was enraged by his treatment of her. Men were supposed to be doormats

for women, but he wasn't acting like a doormat. She glared at her father and

said, "You're a fucking bastard. I hate you."

Jenny smiled over the hood of the car at her boyfriend. His demonstration of

strength had a definite effect on the area between her legs. She said, "You're

my bastard and I'd love for you to throw me over your shoulder like that."

Feeling the tension leave his body, Jerry laughed and said, "I'll keep that in

mind."

Melissa was not amused by Jenny's statement. She glared at the older woman,

disgusted that any woman would allow herself to be toted around like that. It

only convinced her further that Jenny was white trash.

On the drive over to pick up Bill, Melissa kept up a constant stream of abuse

from the backseat. Amazed that his rage hadn't returned, Jerry said, "Little

girl. Your mouth is writing checks that your ass is going to have to cash. You

stay here until I get Bill. If you run off, I'm not chasing you down."

Jerry got out of the car and went up to the door to pick up Bill. When he was

gone, Jenny turned to Melissa and said, "Listen to me, Melissa. The world

described by your mother is fantasy. You're living in the real world now. You

better listen to your father, do as he says, and stop shooting off your mouth.

He's not going to let you get away with that kind of behavior."

"He can't do anything," retorted Melissa fully confident of her answer.

"If he doesn't know what to do with you, I'll tell him how to handle the

situation. You run off, we'll call the police and report you as a run-away. When

they catch you, I'm going to make sure that he's delayed picking you up. I

promise you that you can expect to spend another night in jail. If you destroy

something around the house, I'll rip up half of your clothes."

"You wouldn't dare," retorted Melissa in shock that another woman would take her

father's side.

"Just try me," challenged Jenny. She didn't want to see Jerry hurt by the

malicious little monster seated in the back of the car.

The tone of voice in the woman's voice convinced Melissa more than her words.

She stared at the woman finding it hard to believe that she let a man dictate

what she did. In a incredulous voice, she said, "You have to control men. They

might be stronger than women are, but they are mentally weak and lazy. They are

sheep that have to be told what to do. Didn't your mother explain that to you?"

Jenny broke out laughing at the younger woman. Shaking her head, she said, "You

really have no clue at all about men and women."

"Bitch," retorted Melissa. She crossed her arms and stared out the window in

time to see Bill come out of the house. She was surprised to see that he had a

couple of friends that were patting him on the back and joking around with him.

For a moment she wondered how he had managed to trick people into liking him. He

was one of the losers and there wasn't a chance of him going to go anywhere in

the world.

Bill entered the car with a smile on his face. Ignoring his sister seated beside

him, he looked over at Jenny and said, "Hi, Jenny."

"Hello Bill. Did you have a good time with Woody?"

"It was great. We played Nintendo, went swimming over at Sandy's, hung around

the mall, and watched a bunch of videos," replied the boy with enthusiasm.

Melissa interrupted, "Billy boy, aren't you going to say hello to me?"

"No," replied Bill curtly before he turned back to Jenny. Smiling, he asked, "So

what have you been doing?"

"Sharon and I went shopping. That was lots of fun," replied Jenny. The two women

had gone out to find a black dress for Melissa. Once they had found a dress for

the girl, the two went looking at wedding dresses. Sharon was getting married in

a month and still hadn't found a dress for the wedding.

Bill wasn't all that interested in shopping, but knew that Jenny enjoyed it. He

asked, "So what did you get?"

"Well, we bought a dress for your sister and then we started looking for a

wedding dress..." Her answer was cut off and replaced with a scream when Melissa

reached out and grabbed a handful of her hair.

Jerry had been getting into the car when Melissa had yanked Jenny's hair.

Instead of getting into the car, he ran around to the other side to rescue his

girlfriend. Bill reacted without thinking and slammed his right fist into

Melissa's stomach in a broad backhand swing. The girl crumpled in her seat

letting go of Jenny's hair. Before Jerry was able to get the door open, Bill had

pushed Melissa back and was hovering over her with his fist back ready to pummel

her.

Jerry threw the door open and Melissa tumbled out, landing at his feet. Roughly,

Jerry picked her up and headed towards the back of the car. He shouted, "Open

the trunk!"

Jenny appeared at his side and said, "Don't put her in the trunk. I'll sit in

the back with Bill."

Angry, Melissa glared at Bill and shouted, "He hurt me!"

Bill appeared next to his father and waved his fist in Melissa's face as he

growled, "If you ever touch Jenny again, I'll kill you."

Jerry snapped, "Melissa, you are lucky this time. Get in the front seat and

don't even say a single word. Bill, don't threaten your sister. "

"It wasn't a threat. It was a promise," countered Bill ignoring the angry look

his father gave him. He was staring at Melissa with absolute hatred in his eyes.

Melissa hadn't believed her father when he had said that he would throw her in

the trunk of the car earlier, but based on his actions she found herself

believing the threat. When he let her go, she was going to yell at him. After

one look at Bill, she slipped into the front seat without arguing.

The drive to the funeral home was quiet. Bill sat in the back glaring at his

sister and holding Jenny's hand. He was sitting right behind Melissa ready to

reach out and throttle her if she did or said anything. He had lived with her

abusive comments and behavior for years, but wasn't going to allow Melissa to do

the same things to Jenny.

Jenny watched Bill and Jerry as looks of anger crossed their faces. She patted

Bill's hand with reassurance occasionally. She believed that he was upset about

having to be around his sister. She didn't realize that the boy was more

concerned about keeping her safe from his sister.

Jerry drove mechanically. His mind was racing in a futile effort to figure out

what to do with Melissa. The past three days had been absolute hell for him and

she had been the root cause of all of it. He wondered if there was any hope for

her.

Melissa, her stomach hurting from the earlier blow to it, sat in the front seat

plotting how she would get revenge on Bill for striking her. Thoughts of

destroying his scooter came to mind, but she knew that he would be protecting it

from her. She thought about it and knew that she'd have to come up with

something much worse to have the desired effect.

When they arrived at the funeral home, Jerry's ex-wife was standing near the

door smoking a cigarette. Before Jerry had a chance to put the car into park,

Melissa had jumped out the door. She hit the ground running while she screamed,

"Mommy."

Jerry sat in the car staring at the pair of women as they went through the

ritual of exchanging air kisses. The sight of his ex-wife disgusted him. She had

let herself go over the past year and looked twenty years older. She retained

the cruel twist to her smile when she looked in his direction. After knowing

Jenny, he wondered how he had ever thought his ex-wife was attractive.

Bill broke the silence when he said, "Mom looks like shit."

"Yes, she does."

The three of them got out of the car and went up to the door of the funeral

home. As they reached the door, his ex-wife said, "Well, if it isn't the gorilla

and his crack whore. What are you doing here?"

Jerry stopped and looked at his ex-wife. In a somber tone of voice appropriate

for attending a funeral, he answered, "Bill and I are here to pay our respects

to your mother."

The three did not wait for a response before heading into the funeral parlor.

Inside, they took seats in the back row of the room where the service would be

held. The room was empty. Jerry wasn't exactly surprised that they were the only

ones there. The time for the service came and a minister came into the room.

Jerry looked around and saw that they were the only ones there. He whispered,

"We are the only ones here."

Jenny looked around the room confirming that Jerry was correct; they were alone

in the room. She wondered why the ex-wife and daughter were not in the room.

They sat through the service with Jerry holding an arm around Bill's shoulder to

comfort the young man. The woman may have been nasty to Jerry, but she was

Bill's grandmother.

Bill sniffed, trying to hold back his tears. He may not have particularly been

happy with how his grandmother treated him, but he had still loved her. For

years he had hoped that he could do something that would make her proud of him,

but that had never come to pass. His sister, on the other hand, could do no

wrong. Even in his grief, he felt bitter about the unfairness.

When the service ended, the three of them went to the gravesite. The weather was

still and humidity made the cemetery oppressively hot. They waited as the

minister gave the graveside service with Bill standing between Jerry and Jenny.

Jerry had his hand on the boy's left shoulder and Jenny had hers on his right

shoulder. When it was over, Jerry said, "I know you loved her son."

Bill sniffed and said, "Yeah, but I don't think she loved me."

Jerry frowned and wondered what to say. He decided that the truth was best.

After a minute, he said, "Don't feel bad. I don't think she was capable of

loving a male."

"Just like Mom and Melissa," commented Bill with a sad shake of his head.

"I'm not sure that your mother is capable of loving anyone," corrected Jerry. He

stood by the graveside thinking how horrible it was that the old woman had been

buried without her daughter or granddaughter in attendance. It was ironic that

the two members of the family that the woman had actively disliked had been the

only ones that attended her funeral. He wondered if there was any hope for

Melissa.

With her heart breaking at the exchange between father and son, Jenny pulled

Bill into a tight hug without saying a word. The tension in his back slowly

lessened as he took comfort in her tight embrace. When she released him, tears

were streaming down their faces. Jerry rocked in place feeling awkward, but not

knowing what to say or do.

Bill followed his father and Jenny to the car. He thought about how lucky his

father had been to find Jenny. Bill had learned from her that not all women were

as selfish and self-centered as the women in his family were. She gave him hope

that one day he would meet a nice girl.

When they reached the car, Jenny looked around for Melissa. The girl was nowhere

to be found. She asked, "What are you going to do about Melissa?"

Looking around the parking lot, Jerry saw that Melissa was nowhere in sight. It

was obvious to him that she had left with his ex-wife. He answered, "I'm going

to report Melissa as a runaway and then I'm going to take the two people I love

the most in this world to lunch."

Bill looked over at his father and said, "I know where they are."

"Where?"

"They've gone to get the will," replied Bill. He ran a finger under his nose and

then added, "After you left, Mom used to talk about how all of her money

problems would be over when grandmother died."

"What a bitch," commented Jenny unable to believe the character of Jerry's

ex-wife. She put her hand to her mouth as she realized that she had said it

aloud. The woman was Bill's mother and it wasn't right to talk bad about her in

front of the boy. She apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say it."

Sighing, Bill said, "We were all thinking it."

Jerry pulled out his cell phone and called the police. It didn't take long to

report his daughter as being a run-away. After agreeing to stop by the station

to sign the appropriate paperwork, Jerry smiled and said, "Let's get something

to eat."

"Chinese Buffet!"

"Seafood!" suggested Jenny.

Jenny's suggestion made Bill reconsider his previous choice. Smiling, he said,

"Seafood."

"Seafood it shall be," summarized Jerry immensely happy at the choice. He didn't

want to eat Chinese Buffet that day. He knew that Jenny enjoyed it, but not as a

regular place to eat. He smiled while he opened the door for Jenny and, leaning

down so that his mouth was next to her ear, whispered, "I love you, Jenny."

It was a quiet trip to the seafood restaurant. Each of them was lost in their

own thoughts. When they reached the restaurant, Jenny said, "I was thinking

about the will. You and your wife aren't divorced yet. If I'm not mistaken, that

means that you get half of the inheritance."

Jerry didn't like the direction of Jenny's thoughts and wondered if she was just

as greedy as was his ex-wife. He looked over at her in concern and asked, "So?"

"I was just thinking that you could use that to expedite the divorce. I'm sure

that she would give up a lot of her claims to keep as much of that inheritance

as possible."

Turning to face Jenny, Jerry couldn't believe what she had said. It sounded to

him as if she were suggesting that he use the inheritance to coerce his wife

into capitulating to his demands. He asked, "How?"

"Look. I know that you could care less about the money and just want to get rid

of your wife. If what you told me about your mother-in-law is correct, then she

left behind a house and a fairly good savings account. You said that her house

was worth a lot more than you could get for your old house. Your wife will give

you your old house and your retirement account without complaint if she is

getting the better deal. You end up with what is yours."

Jerry nodded his head thinking about what she had said. It made sense that his

wife would ease off on her demands in order to get as much money as possible.

Thinking over the possibility, he pulled out his phone and made a call to his

attorney. He was smiling by the time that he hung up and could imagine the

scream of frustration that his wife would give forth when she heard from her

lawyer.

The three of them left the car and entered the restaurant. They had a nice quiet

meal in which Bill talked about his memories of his grandmother. He had loved

her, but had never understood why she didn't seem to care for him. It broke

Jerry's heart as he heard about the kinds of things that she had said and done

to his son. Jenny had to leave the table to avoid breaking out in tears upon

learning about the kind of treatment given Bill by his grandmother.

It was two days later when Jerry sat down across from his attorney, wondering

how much this conversation was going to cost him. He felt as if the majority of

his income was going to the attorney rather than into feeding and housing his

family. So far, the divorce had been emotionally and financially draining. Most

likely, this visit was about the divorce.

On the other hand, he knew that it could be related to Melissa. His daughter was

costing him even more money. He had picked her up from jail that morning and

dropped her off at his house. She was actually glad to be at the house after

sharing a cell overnight with a very butch looking woman who had been arrested

for assaulting her lover.

Gruffly, Jerry asked, "What did you need to see me about?"

Smiling at his client, Tony answered, "We've reached an agreement on the terms

of the divorce. I want to verify that you agree with them. Once that's done, we

put it to the judge, you sign, and then you're free."

The news about having reached an agreement surprised Jerry, since he didn't

think he'd ever hear those words. He smiled as he considered that he would be

able to marry Jenny sooner than expected. He asked, "So what are the terms?"

"You get the kids, the house, your cars, you savings accounts, and your

retirement accounts. She gets her mother's house, her mother's accounts, her

car, and all of the items from your house."

Frowning, Jerry asked, "I get the kids? She didn't contest custody of Melissa?"

"No. She said that she wanted to get what is hers and to be done with it." Tony

hated custody battles, but this one the strangest one that he had ever been

involved. The mother had poisoned the daughter against the father, but didn't

bother to try to keep custody of the kid. Her desire for money overwhelmed all

other considerations.

Jerry stared at the lawyer in shock. This was the last thing that he had

expected, since he was positive that she would fight to keep custody of Melissa.

It would take a lot of lying to his self to get convinced that he was willing to

fight that hard to keep custody of Melissa. The girl had been nothing but

trouble ever since his mother-in-law had died.

Melissa didn't know that her mother had given up custody of her without a fight

and he sure didn't know how to tell her. With a start, he realized that if he

told her that she wouldn't believe him. Hoping that she might have learned of it

without his knowledge, he asked, "Does Melissa know?"

"She's at your house and, as far as I know, your wife has not contacted her."

"What should I tell her?" asked Jerry.

"The truth," replied the lawyer with a grim look on his face. He knew that was

the only way that Jerry would have any control over his daughter. She had to

know that her mother had abandoned her without a fight.

Jerry was quiet as he considered what he had to tell his daughter. He knew that

she wouldn't believe a single word that he said against her mother. He shook his

head and said, "There's no way I can tell her that her mother wanted the money

more than her."

"It's the truth. I'll admit that it is an ugly truth, but it is the truth,"

replied Tony with a sigh. He looked up at his client, frowned as he considered

his words, and then said, "She needs to know the truth."

"I can't do that," countered Jerry. In his opinion, it was wrong for a parent to

ever tell their child that they weren't wanted.

Tony countered, "You can't afford not to tell her that."

"I know," replied Jerry knowing that he wouldn't say a word about it.

"I'll see you in two days when we get the paper work. Your wife wants to meet

and get everything settled. Until the paperwork is completed, she can't move

into her mother's house," stated the lawyer.

It was two days later when Jerry, Bill, and Melissa showed up at the lawyer's

office. Jerry hadn't discussed any details about the settlement with the kids.

Pointing to the chairs in the waiting room, Jerry said, "Have a seat."

Melissa believed that she would be moving in with her mother after the divorce

was final. Her mother had promised her that on the day of her grandmother's

funeral. She had even packed her suitcases and thrown a fit when Jerry wouldn't

put them in his car. The girl seated herself in the lobby, barely able to

contain her excitement at the prospect of returning to live with her mother. She

knew that once they cleaned him out, they would both achieve the lifestyle to

which they had always desired.

At a gesture from the receptionist, he went to the office and entered. His

lawyer, her lawyer, and the soon-to-be official ex-wife were waiting for him. He

left the door open behind him so that the kids could hear what was said in the

room. Looking at his wife, he asked, "Why didn't you fight for custody of

Melissa?"

"I wanted the money now," she answered with a grin, "and fighting you for her

would have made it that much longer before I got it. She wasn't worth it."

"You're right. I would have fought to keep her." Knowing that his ex-wife had

conveyed the message to his daughter, Jerry closed the door. In a disgusted tone

of voice, he said, "I'll sign the papers now."

Jerry signed the papers and picked up the keys to the house. His lawyer had

taken care of all of the details for transfer of title to the house. He handed

the pen over to his wife and said, "You can sign now."

She signed the papers without even looking in his direction. Once that was done,

she crowed, "You are a stupid fucking gorilla. You have no idea how much money

you lost in this settlement."

Jerry opened the door as he said, "Yeah, I'm a stupid fucking gorilla. I do have

an idea how much money I lost in this settlement. I also know that I got the

better deal. I got the kids."

"Ha," scoffed the woman with a smirk. She didn't care who heard her.

"Do you want to see the kids?" asked Jerry knowing exactly how she would answer.

"Not really," she replied. She was ready to leave on a major shopping trip

complements of the insurance money left to her by her mother.

"A representative will be over to your house to pick up Melissa's clothes and

her car," said Jerry. There was no way he was taking Melissa anywhere near that

woman.

"What car?" asked the woman surprised by his demand.

"The BMW. It's in her name," replied Jerry.

"You can't take that car. It's mine. It's in the garage of my new house,"

countered his ex-wife. She wasn't going to let him get away with anything from

that house.

Jerry shook his head at the idea that she would steal a car from her own

daughter. He turned to Tony in disgust and said, "Explain it to her, Tony."

Jerry left the office and entered the waiting room. Bill was in tears having

heard that his mother hadn't wanted to see him. Melissa was in a state of shock

and looked as if she were about to faint any moment. Jerry hadn't wanted to tell

her that her mother didn't really want her. It was better for everyone to let

her mother say that. He went to them and said, "Come here kids."

The kids flew to him. He threw an arm around Melissa as Bill hugged him tightly.

Bending down a little, he whispered in Melissa's ear, "I'm sorry."

As tears threatened to overwhelm her, she asked, "For what?"

"That you had to hear what your mother said," answered Jerry. He hugged her

closer as she burst into tears. He knew that her heart had been ripped out of

her chest.

Melissa had never thought of her mother as a shallow self-centered woman. For

her entire life, her mother had served as a role model of an intelligent and

attractive woman. She couldn't believe that her mother had abandoned her so

easily, particularly to a man that they both considered to be a barbarian who

epitomized the worst in men.

Jerry held the kids until they stopped crying. It was at times like this that he

hated wearing the cast. He wanted to wrap both his arms around his kids and

comfort them, but he only had one arm. They needed to know that someone in this

world loved them.

When the kids stepped back, he said, "Let's go home and talk."

He turned to find his lawyer standing behind him. Jerry gave the man a look that

conveyed the hurt his ex-wife's actions had caused for all of them. His

expression changed to worry as he realized that his wife might still be there.

Tony shook his head and said, "Don't worry. She's left already."

"Thank you," replied Jerry.

"If it will make you feel any better, I agree with you. You got the better deal

in the divorce." Tony shook his head and returned to his office. He was planning

on going home and hugging his kids.

Jerry looked down at the kids and gave them a weak smile. Trying to put a lot

more positive energy into his voice than he actually felt, he said, "Let's go

home."

The kids walked out of the lawyer's office much closer to their father than when

they had entered. Bill knew how much his father loved him and that his mother

was a lost cause. Melissa, afraid for her future, wondered how her father would

treat her. At least he hadn't gloated over the situation.

At the car, Jerry pulled Bill over to him and gave him a great big hug. Kneeling

next to his son, he said, "I love you."

Bill sniffed, smiled, and then asked, "So are you going to raise my allowance?"

Jerry laughed and tousled Bill's hair appreciating that his son was still able

to joke. He was never more proud of his son than at that moment. Bill displayed

the kind of resilience of spirit that would see him through this difficult time

and through the difficulties that an uncertain future might throw at him.

As Bill climbed into the back of the Camaro, Jerry put an arm around Melissa and

said, "Melissa, I'll try to be a little more patient and understanding from now

on. I hope that you can meet me halfway."

Melissa pulled back and, with real despair in her voice, replied, "What choice

do I have?"

Jerry shook his head and answered, "I wish you had more choices, but that wasn't

up to me to give you. When we get home, we'll talk about your choices. I'm sure

there are a few left to you."

"You mean I have choices?"

"Sure you do. We all have choices. Some cost more than others do. Some are

harder than others are, but you always have choices," answered Jerry. Divorcing

his wife had been one of the hardest choices that he had made, but the rewards

had been tremendous.

Melissa got into the car without her normal anger. She hurt too much to be angry

and sat in her seat, quiet and thoughtful. Bill watched her with narrowed eyes

trying to gauge her mood, but it was one that he had never seen before.

Shrugging his shoulders, he turned and looked out the window promising that he

wasn't going to trust his sister further than he could throw his car.

On their way home, they stopped by the old house to see what kind of shape that

it was in. The outside of the house looked like a tornado had gone through the

yard. Trash littered the uncut grass. There were more weeds than grass. It was

clear that she had done nothing with the yard since Bill had left the house.

The inside of the house was completely torn up. She had gone through the

interior with a sledgehammer, taking out the walls, sinks, toilets, and kitchen

appliances. Most of the windows were broken. They had to turn off the water to

prevent further damage as broken sinks and toilets flooded rooms. The entire

interior of the house would have to be repaired.

Bill and Jerry took the devastation in stride, but Melissa stood at the front

door looking at the damage in shock. It had been her hope that they would move

back into the house and out of that horrid neighborhood. With a tremble in her

voice, she said, "There was no need to do this. She got everything she wanted."

Bill glanced at his father taking in the sadness that spread over his face. In a

quiet voice, Jerry said, "No she didn't get everything she wanted. She wanted

everything all to herself."

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